UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, right, and challenger Chad Mendes, square off during a media lunch in Los Angeles Wednesday, June 11, 2014. Aldo has suffered an injury and has pulled out of his scheduled title fight against Mendes at UFC 176 at Staples Center on August 2, 2014. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)

UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has suffered an injury and has pulled out of his scheduled title fight against Chad Mendes at UFC 176. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)

LAS VEGAS >> Ronda Rousey’s 16-second victory over Alexis Davis on Saturday night at UFC 175 wasn’t minutes old before she was asked in the Octagon about fighting again next month.

Which tells you all you need to know how serious the concerns are about UFC 176, scheduled to take place Aug. 2 at Staples Center.

With nine stitches in her right hand and minor knee surgery planned, Rousey is out of the question. Too bad, because the hometown girl would have done the trick.

When news broke Wednesday that featherweight champion Jose Aldo was injured and forced to withdraw from his main-event fight against No. 1 contender Chad Mendes, the card was immediately in jeopardy.

The UFC site still has the Aldo-Mendes rematch featured on its UFC 176 page. And that could be because UFC President Dana White said Aldo could be ready to fight in 45 days ... so maybe it’s still on. Just maybe at a later date and/or at a different venue.

But after a glance at the rest of the card, without Aldo-Mendes, forget about a pay-per-view. It would be hard-pressed to sell this for free on any Fox channel.

And there are some entertaining fights for sure. The return of Gray Maynard against Fabricio Camoes. Bethe Correia looks to beat her second of The Four Horsewomen when she takes on Shayna Baszler. Jussier Formiga and Zach Makovsky are top 10 flyweights. And give me Bobby Green vs. Abel Trujillo any day.

But this card needs more to attract the casual fans. And this is Los Angeles we’re talking about. While there are many MMA fans in the Southland, how many are willing to pay good money for the card as it currently stands?

Find some big-name fighters and quick

Some were thinking there was a chance the winner of Sunday night’s main event at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale could be in play. Frankie Edgar and B.J. Penn certainly had the credentials and names, but Edgar retired Penn with a three-round dismantling. If it were a quick finish, maybe. But that was wishful thinking.

And why should Mendes put his title shot on the line? He’s the No. 1 contender and has earned it, winning five in a row after losing to Aldo and a perfectly placed flying knee in January 2012 in Brazil.

Who else is out there? The UFC, especially as it expands globally, puts on tons of fights, so few top-card fighters are available on such short notice.

Unless White wants to take some of his blackjack winnings, stuff them into a pair of pillowcases and cruise into the 209 area code and attempt to sway Nick and/or Nate Diaz to bring some of their Stockton faithful south for a mini-vacation in August, it looks like a longshot.

DITCH THE PAY-PER-VIEW

OK, say Mendes accepts a fight against another top featherweight. But it isn’t a title fight, and that’s not going to cut it for pay-per-view buys.

Whether Mendes still fights or not, and maybe another good fight gets thrown in, this card could be headed for Fox or Fox Sports 1. Of course, there are all sorts of programming logistics to solve there.

Then what do you do with fans who have paid big money for tickets to see a title fight on a PPV card ... that they can now see for free from their couch?

There’s also a chance it could get pushed back, which could be tough in light of the calendar at Staples Center. And there’s a distinct chance it gets postponed AND moved elsewhere.

This is the most likely scenario. But if they can’t figure out a way to do that, then maybe...

JUST CANCEL IT

This could happen, but no doubt Zuffa — the parent company of the UFC — is doing everything in its power to prevent it.

It has happened before and it was not pretty.

UFC 151, slated for September 2012, was canceled after Dan Henderson suffered a knee injury and had to pull out of his fight with light heavyweight champion Jones.

The UFC tried to get Chael Sonnen as a late replacement, but Jones refused to take that fight on eight days notice.

White pinned the blame on Jones for declining to face an alternate opponent, but he and the UFC took a fair amount of criticism for its shallow pool of fighters — not to mention a major financial hit.

No doubt this is the last scenario the UFC wants, but it is certainly in scramble mode at this point.

Expectations are high for a pay-per-view card, let alone any UFC card at Staples Center.

But Rousey isn’t walking through that door. And the window for UFC 176 is getting smaller by the day.